Leigh Jig Operation Tips

[William C Rogers]

I bought a used Leigh D4 and I am getting ready to try it out. I have looked at previous threads and these are the tips I know. I also have the vac attachment. I will be assembling it today building a base for it. I will be making through dovetail drawers using 5/8 stock.

Use two routers
keep router in the same orientation
Use O-ring under nut to keep the guide tight

The routers I am going to use are a Bosch 1618 with a D handle and a Hitachi MV12. Which bit (dovetail or straight) would you put in the D handle, or does it matter?
What else in setup or operation do I need to be aware of?


Bill

[Brian Kincaid]

Bill,
Try to do a good job centering the bushing on the router bit. The error will cancel on the tails/pins but will still be present on where the edges meet (eg pin board shifted a fraction in relationship to the tail board)

Keep the manual open and use their marking symbols. Draw the symbol on the finger template so that when you are routing inside boards you have an inside symbol facing up on the template.

-Brian

[Mark Bolton]

-Climb cuts initially on your pins will help with tear out.

-Make sure everything is tight on your finger assembly. A bit of vibration and a slipped finger really sucks.

-Dont over think it and just relax. It can be confusing the first few times. After you make a few it becomes second nature.

[Larry Frank]

My first piece of advice is to read the manual. I think that it is one of the best manuals.

Second, piece of advice is to have extra stock and do a number of trials until you are confident in how it works and the best way for you to handle it.

Last piece of advice, is to have some extra pieces of the drawers as it is always possible to make a mistake.

As was previously mentioned, mark all the pieces and be careful that you put them in correctly.

[Denny Rice]

See if Leigh will send you a DVD. The one I received with my D4R is great and has a lot of good tips for beginners on it.

[Ralph Okonieski]

Make sure the boards do not slip or move; push on them with you fingers to double check before placing the router in position.

Make sure the bits and bushing are centered.

Extra pieces are a good idea also.

Sharp router bits.

[William C Rogers]

Thanks for the info. I put the jig together and had everything except the Leigh wrench. So I don't know what the dimension of the thin end of the wrench is to set the side stops. They were set, but don't know if I got the the side stops in the exact same place as previously set. If someone can tell me the dimension of the thin end of the wrench I can check this. Not sure if this is critical as long as the two boards are flush on the sides.

Bill

[Mark Bolton]

Mine is measuring at about .118"